Confident
by MissCullen98
Summary: Edward Cullen has the world at his feet. He is good looking, confident, intelligent and talented. He is the pinnacle of girl's fantasies, and the envy of the boy's. So why is the elusive but beautiful Bella Swan so unfazed by him? When a bet prompts Edward to pursue the brunette beauty, he finds himself out of his depth... and with a whole lot than what he originally bargained for.
1. The Bet

_**Disclaimer- all characters sadly belongs to the one and only Stephanie Meyer!**_

 _ **Hi everyone! I know that I am no where near finished with my first story Just a Boy and that I have been relatively poor with updating, however, this story has been buzzing around my mind for a while and I have a desperate need to get it out there. I will be alternating updates between this story and Just a Boy, but I promise to keep on top of it all- it is my New Year's resolution! The next update for Just a Boy will be tomorrow.**_

 _ **My story is named after Demi Lovato's song 'Confident'. Not only does this apply to Edward and his confidence in his skills both on and off the field (and I'm not talking about football**_ __ _ **) but this is also about to Bella. I have written down a number of conversations between Edward and Bella, and in this story, Bella is a strong, independent woman, who will not be easily swayed by Edward. Please review and tell me what you think! Hope you enjoy…**_

 _ **Chapter 1**_

Edward Cullen drummed his fingers against the driving wheel of his precious silver Volvo impatiently. The sooner he got to school, the sooner he could leave- and that was all that mattered.

He knew it was extremely cliché to complain about High School, but he couldn't seem to give a fuck. Forks High was a hellhole, filled with small town hicks with very narrow outlooks on life. 1 out of 5 people would leave Forks after graduation but usually only go to U of W. The remaining percentage either find a dead end job in the local diner or Newton's Olympic Outfitters and/or get knocked up by their High School Sweetheart and get married.

Edward did not, under any circumstances want to end up like any of these people. He wanted to make something of his life, preferably away from this Shitsville. That's why he applied to colleges far, faraway, his top being the prestigious Dartmouth.

Edward had been working his ass off for a scholarship there for as long as he could remember. He had been playing the piano since he was seven years old and the guitar for half as long. He was also the captain and star quarterback of the schools football team, and co-captain of the baseball team alongside his best friend Jasper Whitlock.

Thinking about Jasper made him beep the horn for a third time. He gritted his teeth wishing that he had never agreed to pick Jazz up for school for the next several weeks. Jazz's beloved motorcycle was at the garage at the moment... something about the breaks being faulty.

He and Jazz had been best friends since the start of middle school when Jasper had first moved from Texas. Edward had beat up Tyler Crowley after hearing him torment the new kid over his 'stupid accent'. From that moment they had been inseparable.

Edward Cullen and Japer Whitlock were incredibly popular amongst the students of Forks High. They were admired by the girls for their good looks and envied by the boys for their status in terms of sporting achievement.

Edward knew he was good looking; he with his bronze hair and emerald green eyes that he had inherited from his mother, and sharp jaw line and tall stature from his father. He wasn't dim.

He often used his looks to his advantage: he was a seventeen-year-old boy after all. He wasn't as bad as Jasper though. His shaggy blonde haired friend had been with three girls this week alone. Right now he was currently "dating" the new foreign exchange student Maria. God knows how long that was going to last.

Finally Jazz jumped into the Volvo, his blue eyes narrowed as he saw the irritated look on his friend's face.

"Oh for God's sake Edward, it's not like you love school" Jasper rolled his eyes, throwing his backpack in the back seat.

"Fuck off, it's like waiting for a goddamn girl to get ready."

Jasper flipped him off, turning the stereo up.

"Seriously?" he huffed as Clair de Lune filtered through the speakers.

"Better than fucking Taylor Swift" Edward muttered, prompting Jasper to turn a violent red.

"That was one time, and she's fucking hot!" Jasper argued.

"I prefer brunettes"

"You weren't saying that when Kate was sucking you off under the bleachers last week."

Edward didn't have anything to say to that, so he just shrugged.

"You taking Maria out tonight?"

Jasper smirked at his friend's quick change of subject but didn't comment "Yep. We're going to Bella Italia."

Edward quirked a brow "You like this one then?" If Jasper took his dates to the Diner that usually meant that he was hoping for a quickie in the car. A visit to Port Angeles meant that Maria would be another one of his two-week girlfriends.

"What can I say? I love an accent" Jasper waggled his eyebrows, leading the two to laugh in hysterics.

Edward pulled into Forks car park, driving past the rusty old vehicles of his classmates. His shining Volvo was the most impressive one here, rivaled only by…

"Here they come" Jasper stated, eyes on a cherry red BMW M3.

The Swan-Hale sisters parked directly in front on the Volvo. Jasper and Edward stayed in the car wanting to covertly watch the girls get out, hidden behind the tinted glass.

Rosalie got out first. Rose resembled that of a Victoria Secret model with her long golden hair falling like a waterfall down her back, framing her doll-like face. She was tall, with an athletic body that brought all the boys to their knees. Her mile long legs were encased in light blue jeans. Tall brown high heeled boots matching her tan leather jacket.

Her boyfriend Emmett McCarty who played alongside Edward in the football team quickly joined her. Emmett was massive, with a broad muscular frame and bulging arms. His face contradicted his body however, as it seemed almost childlike with his baby blue eyes and dimples. He was a nice guy but a bit of a prankster. Everyone was really surprised when they found out the class clown had pulled the Ice Queen at the end of last year.

It wasn't Rosalie who held Edward's attention however. It was her older sister… the car door flung open and a black converse popped out. Edward released a long sigh watching the brunette beauty stand. Yes, Rosalie was beautiful but Isabella was stunning.

Isabella's looks were reminiscent of a classic movie star era. She had huge dark eyes, framed with incredibly long lashes. Her chocolate hair was shiny and lush, set in large curls to the mid of her back and cupid bow lips which Edward wanted to kiss, lick and suck. Isabella Swan was an absolute heartbreaker.

Although she was wearing a simple ensemble consisting of a pair of ripped black jeans, fitted white v-neck t-shirt and chucks– she carried it off like a fucking supermodel.

The trio walked towards the school, not paying attention to any of the idiots who had stopped to stare.

"Dude you're drooling" Jasper chuckled, causing Edward to break his gaze away from Isabella's magnificent ass.

 _She's fucking spectacular._

"I just don't get why you haven't tapped that yet," Jasper said, getting out of the car.

Edward shook his head, grabbing his bag before following Jasper. It wasn't for lack of trying. Edward had been obsessed with Isabella since she moved to Forks at the start of last year. But every time he tried talking to her he would just lose his wording. He, Edward Cullen, notorious player and smooth talker became an absolute idiot in her presence.

"She's not my type," he said, hoping if he kept telling himself that, it would somehow come true.

Jasper nearly pissed himself "Get over yourself Eddie, you've been gone over this girl since the moment you saw her."

"Fine! She scares the ever-living shit out of me! Plus she is way too fucking cool for anyone around here."

It was true.

Isabella Swan was the definition of the word. She was really smart too - probably his only competition for Valedictorian later this year. The girl was definitely going places. She was in all his advanced classes, including music. She could play the guitar, which was a real fucking turn on. She didn't play all the shitty stuff from the charts either. She was more into the Beatles and Rolling Stones.

She didn't hang round with the 'popular crowd' like Mike Newton and Lauren Mallory either, despite being asked to when she first arrived. She either kept to herself reading classic books like The Great Gatsby and The Count of Monte Cristo, or she would talk to Rosalie and Emmett who were in the year below.

When the girls first came, there had been a lot of gossip about them. Apparently, Rosalie was the daughter of Phil Dwyer (Isabella's stepfather) from his first marriage. The last name 'Hale' was her mother's maiden name who had died of cancer when Rosalie was very young. She changed her name as soon as she was allowed to.

Renee, Isabella's mom and Phil were killed in a car accident the summer before junior year leaving Rosalie an orphan and Bella motherless. Chief Swan became a hero to the people of Forks, as he not only took his daughter in but also his ex-wife's stepdaughter.

People learnt when Isabella and Rosalie came to Forks not to show their sympathy openly as it didn't bode well with either of them. They did not welcome pity. Everyone soon kept away from the elusive sisters and they were labeled the Ice Queens of Forks High.

"You are such a pussy," Jasper snorted.

"Fuck off"

"Just go for it!"

"No. I do not need Isabella Swan" Edward said snootily.

"You're afraid of rejection," Jasper taunted.

"Am not" _I so fucking am._

"Fine, proving it wont be an issue then. I bet you couldn't get into Isabella's pants by the end of the month."

"And what do I get out of this?" Edward grumbled.

"The pleasure of having sex with Isabella and saying I told you so."

Edward's eyes narrowed "I get to drive the motorcycle when it's fixed."

Jasper wavered a little "O-okay. But if I win you got to pay for the repairs."

That would be all of Edward's savings, but the challenge in Jasper's eyes and further encouragement to pursue the beautiful Swan girl spurred him on.

"It's a bet."

…

Edward was both delighted and nervous when he walked to into AP Biology and found himself placed next to Isabella Swan.

"Alright class," Dr Banner called out "these are your lab partners for the rest of the year. I'm going to give you each a worksheet reviewing what we did last year. Please work independently."

Edward rubbed his sweaty palms against his jeans, and discreetly sniffed his shirt hoping he smelt okay.

Smelling the expensive clone pushed his confidence and he turned to his gorgeous lab partner.

Wow. She was even more exquisite up close.

There wasn't a blemish on her porcelain skin, and she had a faint dusting of freckles across her arms. His mom Esme used to call them kisses from angels when he was young.

"H-hey" Edward said, internally cursing his stutter.

Isabella turned to face him, and his breath got stuck in his throat when he looked into her chocolate eyes that were flecked with gold.

"Hi" she said, smiling slightly.

 _She smiled at me._

 _You my friend are an absolute goner._

"I'm Edward Cullen," he stated, flashing a crooked smile.

"Oh I know who you are Edward Cullen" she said his name almost mockingly.

"Oh?"

"Yes, your reputation precedes you" she snickered, turning back to the worksheet.

"So maybe it would be a bad time to…"

"Yes"

"Yes?"

"Yes it is a bad time to ask me out and no I will not go out with you."

Edward stared at her slack jawed, shocked that she had actually full out rejected him. Yes, he expected it, but receiving it was a totally different story.

Coughing, he regained his composure, before pulling up a calm and collected façade.

"Who said I was going to ask you out?"

Isabella didn't bother looking up, instead choosing to continue her worksheet. Edward found himself silently impressed at the easy and rapid way she answered the questions that remained blank on his own sheet.

"Well number one, you sniffed your shirt before you talked to me, suggesting that you want to impress me,"

"How…" Edward was sure he had done it subtly and she was not looking.

"Number two," she continued ignoring his question "you smiled the 'grin' that you flash to all the girls as if their panties are going to fall off,"

Was it bad that he got hard when she said the word 'panties'?

"And lastly your voice was trembling when you were about to ask me something, implying you were nervous leading me to the definite conclusion that you were about to ask me out. The answer being no."

She pushed away her worksheet away with a flourish, all questions answered, and an expectant look on her face.

Remember when he said she was smart? He takes it back. She's a fucking genius.

"Why?"

"Why what?" Isabella asked, boredom taking over her features.

"Give me three reasons why won't you go out with me."

"I could give you twenty," she countered.

"I'm sure three will suffice." He said through gritted teeth.

"Well okay… You're cruel for one."

"I'm not cruel!" Edward cried, offended.

"Don't give me that. I see how you treat poor people like Ben Cheney and Eric Yorkie in the hallway."

Edward snorted; they were hardly worth his time. They were a bunch of pathetic geeks who didn't have the balls to stand up to him.

At this, almost as she could read his mind, a fierce look took over Isabella's angelic features, prompting Edward to curl within himself.

"Don't laugh at me Edward Cullen. They are real people with real feelings. If you were a decent person you would offer the same amount of respect that you yourself believe you should be given."

Besides being scared, Edward found himself even more attracted to her than he did prior to this conversation. _God, she is sexy when she is mad._

"Anything else?" Edward questioned, wanting to see the fire burn even brighter in her doe eyes.

"You dumped your latest squeeze last week."

"Keeping check on me Swan?" he flirted.

"You seem to be a hot commodity in the slut brigade Mr. Cullen. Not that I really understand that. You drop girls as though they are dirty tissues. You totally disregard their feelings."

Edward brushed this off. He knew that he treated girls badly but he wasn't that bad… was he?

"You think the world revolves around you. You think you are better than everyone here. You maybe the captain of the football team and baseball team, and you may have the admiration of the school and yes, you may be absurdly good looking, but in the real world Edward Cullen, no one is going to give a shit if you are popular."

This hit Edward hard in the chest. He knew she was right. But he desperately wanted to show her how she was wrong. This beautiful fiery girl had just seen right through him just by watching him, and that rubbed him up the wrong way.

"Everything okay here?" Dr Banner questioned, breaking up the tense atmosphere abruptly.

"Fine sir" Isabella replied, her distantly polite tone returning. Edward already missed the passion that was in her voice. Even though it was negatively pointed at him.

"Mr. Cullen, you better get to work. We have five minutes left and you haven't even started."

"Yes sir" Edward said agitated.

The partners sat in silence as Edward completed his work. How the hell was he going to win this bet when the girl absolutely hated him?

When the buzzer finally went, signaling the end of the lesson Isabella stood, picking up her books quickly. When she went to leave however, Edward put his hand around her wrist in an attempt to stop her.

Neither missed the sudden bolt of electricity that ran from their touch, warming them to their toes. They froze, eyes locked.

"Let me prove you wrong" Edward whispered, holding her gaze.

Isabella shook her head "See you around Edward."

She pulled her wrist from his hand and walked through the door.

He hated watching her leave. But how he loved to watch her go.


	2. Progress

_**Disclaimer- all characters sadly belongs to the one and only Stephanie Meyer!**_

 _ **Hellooo! So here is the next chapter. I'm sorry about how bad I am at updating, a lot of personal stuff has happened since the first chapter, but I'm trying my best.**_

 _ **Hope you enjoy, and please review!**_

 _ **Lots of love xo**_

 _ **Chapter 2**_

Late Saturday afternoon, Edward and Jasper found them selves lazing in the living room of the Cullen home, playing video games.

"How did your date go?"

Edward hoped this question would act as a distraction. Jasper was currently kicking his ass at FIFA, 3-0 and that did not bode well with him.

"Meh," Jasper replied, blue eyes focused on the screen, thumbs furiously working the controller as if his life depended on it. "We were making out in the car, and as I was just about to get to second base, her father runs out of the house cursing in Spanish. Scared the fuck out of me. I ended up pushing her out the car and hightailing it outta there."

Edward laughed at the image oh his friend speeding away from a podgy Spanish man with a thick moustache. "Serves you right, I say! Who fucking parks outside a girls house and tries to get some?"

"Her curfew was eleven, and by the time we got out of Port Angeles it was half ten!" Jasper furiously defended. Edward quickly took advantage; slide tackling Jasper's player, and sprinting to the goal.

"You asshole" Jasper objected as Edward scored, "you were cheating!" he lifted the pillow he was lying on, aiming for Edward.

"Hey!" Edward interjected, lifting his palms up. "Do that and I won't let you borrow the Volvo for your next date," Jasper slowly lowered his weapon "well if Papa Luigi even lets you through the door that is…"

Jasper didn't hesitate this time, flinging the pillow at his best friend, snickering. "You dick," he chuckled "and Luigi is Italian."

"Tomato, tomatoe." He paused the game, stretching.

"Anyway, speaking about girls… you didn't tell me how your conversation with Isabella Swan went Monday."

"We didn't really talk" Edward lied.

"So what Mike Newton said about you being flat out rejected was total shit?" he inquired, lifting an eyebrow.

"Mike Newton is a twat."

"Ah, so it is true."

"Shut the fuck up Jazz" Edward rolled his eyes, walking towards the kitchen.

Jasper followed him in, "Now, now Eddie. I'm just trying to help you out."

"And why would you do that?" Edward asked suspiciously, "I thought you wanted to win the bet?"

Edward rummaged in the fridge, pulling out a bottle of water. He jugged it down. The subject of Isabella Swan was putting him on edge. After she walked out of Biology on Monday, he had been unable to get her out of his mind. Her shining eyes, her voice strong with challenge, her easy analysis of him. She was undeniably sexy, and it annoyed the fuck out of Edward; why was the one girl he wanted, the one he couldn't seem to get?

He had attempted talking to Isabella multiple times last week but to no avail. The girl would just do her work, with ease he might add, and leave. A wall was up and Edward didn't have any idea on how to get over it.

"It's just too easy a win at the minute" Jasper said, leaning against the kitchen counter "the win won't be half as satisfying if you just give up now."

"Okay then oh wise one, what do you think I should do?"

"Talk to her."

Edward scoffed at his tone, "I did that Sherlock. And look where that got me! A fucking psyche analysis on what type of man I am, and the biggest fuck off known to man."

This time Jasper rolled his eyes. He took a seat at the kitchen table, and clasped his hands in front of him. Edward felt like he was looking at a patronising teacher, waiting to be schooled.

"Isabella Swan is not like normal girls Edward," Edward snorted again, that was the understatement of the century. "She has been the subjected to a lot of gossip over the last year, but have you noticed that nobody is really asking questions about _her_?"

Edward furrowed his eyebrows confused, "sure they are! Like how her mom died, and where she was from, and…"

"Exactly Edward! But what about what is her favourite film? Or most memorable childhood memory? Or what was her first pet's name? When have people asked questions that had nothing to do with getting the latest gossip, or because they wanted to simply get to know her?"

Edward's eyes widened in realisation; God damn it, Jasper was _right._ What did the students of Forks really know about Isabella Swan, other than the fact that her dad was the Police Chief, and her mom died while she was still living in Phoenix? Nothing.

"Jasper Whitlock you are a fucking genius." No wonder the bastard got so many fucking girls.

He shook his head, "I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that note of surprise in your voice. What I speak is practically gospel truth."

But Edward wasn't listening anymore. His mind was already buzzing with all the questions he could ask Isabella… What was her favourite song to listen to? What about to play? Stones or Beatles? What was her favourite book? Author? What book did she find boring?

"Edward!"

Jasper waved a hand in front of his friend's frozen form. He didn't have a clue about how gone over this girl he was.

Edward jumped from his musings, "What?"

"Can we stop by the garage? I want to see how my baby is doing."

He nodded, feeling slightly indebted to him, "Let's go."

…

Forks had only one garage, and it was down La Push reservation. It was rare for either Edward or Jasper to come down here, as La Push was also their rival in football.

Edward held a particular dislike for Jacob Black, La Push's quarter back. He was an absolute beast, standing at least two inches taller than Edward, and made out of steel. However, Edward managed to hold one over him, with his impressive speed.

He pulled in front of the garage, praying to God that it wouldn't be him on duty today. He wasn't scared of Black. Hell no. But he irritated the fuck out of him, and he couldn't be bothered with that shit today.

Jasper and him slid from the Volvo moving towards the building, Pink's 'So What' was belting out from the radio, making Edward feel like he was being blast back into 2008.

He suddenly felt a punch in his side. "What the hell Jazz!"

Jasper pointed wide eyed over to a blue car in the corner of the garage where… Fucking hell.

Edward would know that ass anywhere. There she was. Isabella Swan was bent over, ample ass in the air swinging side to side to the music, head under the bonnet.

"Isabella?" he questioned breathlessly.

The figure stopped moving, and Edward nearly kicked himself for raising his voice.

Isabella turned around, making him nearly swallowing his tongue. She thought she was hot before? Jesus. She was wearing blue overalls, but the arms were wrapped around her waist. Her little navy tank top made her pale arms appear almost luminescent. Her long chocolate hair was in a messy bun, tendrils falling out so that they framed her face. Grease marks were smeared across her cheeks and arms. She looked phenomenal.

"Cullen? Whitlock?"

The two boys gaped at her appearance for a second, before the latter finally snapped from it.

"Isabella? We've never seen you here before?"

She shrugged, wiping the back of her hand across her forehead. _So hot._

"I don't work here, Rose does. Emmett decided to surprise her for her birthday today, so I'm covering for her as a favour." She explained.

Edward's mouth opened and closed, trying to formulate a sentence "Y-you know cars?"

A smile tugged on the corner of her lips, "I hope so, otherwise the guy who just brought his truck in is gonna be pretty damn pissed."

 _Fuck I think I've just come in my pants. She looks like a wet dream, and she cussed. Fuck. Me._

"Do you know how my motorcycle is doing?" Jasper asked eagerly.

She let out a low whistle, " _you_ own the Ducati Multistrada?" reverence clear in her voice "man, that machine is a thing of beauty."

Edward would have died in that moment, knowing he had met the most perfect woman in existence.

Jasper grinned, "it was a sweet sixteen present."

Edward decided that he would have to ask for a motorcycle soon. Bella was beaming. He could kill Jasper for being the one to put it there.

"Can I go see her?" Jasper asked sweetly.

Bella laughed, "go for it. It should be finished soon, Rose is working on the brakes."

Jasper practically ran to the vehicle, leaving Edward and Bella to themselves. Edward racked his brain wondering what to say. _Ask her something._

"So, who taught you to work cars?"

Isabella smiled fondly, "Rose. She has been into them for as long as I can remember. One summer we were bored, so she taught me simple stuff like how to fix a faulty sparks plug, or recharge the battery. It kind of just developed from there. She is way more advanced than I am, that's why she is working on Jasper's Ducati, but I can hold my own."

Edward took a moment to process that information. He couldn't picture the statuesque, immaculate blonde in greasy overalls, but he didn't say this out loud, not wanting to sound misogynistic.

He was also excited to add another thing he knew about Isabella to the still very short list. She was a musician, she was intelligent, and she could fix cars, bringing him to his second question…

"Is there anything you _can't_ do?" he questioned amazed.

She laughed, which nearly made Edward swoon. It was a sound he wanted to hear again and again. It was like bells. _I'm officially turning into a girl._

"It's looking good Isabella."

Edward sent a murderous glare at his supposed friend when Isabella turned her back on him. He was finally making progress!

"We'll let you know when it's done" she smiled.

"Great, we shall see you Monday then." Jasper grinned, before tugging Edward out of the garage and away from the brunette.

"Wait for me in the car for a sec?" Edward muttered, eyes still on Isabella.

Jasper snickered, but walked to the Volvo.

Isabella raised an eyebrow, "need anything else?"

Edward cleared his throat, and straightened up determinedly, "yes. Go out with me."

She chuckled and turned back to the car.

Edward stood there awkwardly for a moment before speaking again, "That wasn't a no…"

"See you Monday Cullen" she called over her shoulder, ignoring his comment.

"I'll wind you down one day Swan" he replied, walking out backwards.

"Until then."

He could've sworn there was a smile in her voice.

…

Edward was practically bouncing in his seat Monday. He looked on Saturday with optimism. She smiled and laughed and even shared a memory. Surely this was the day where she'd finally say yes to him.

When she walked in, Edward finally released the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.

Today her hair was in one of those fishtail plaits, trailing down on her left side. She wore blue jeans, black boots and a grey sweater thing that slipped down so he could see her pale shoulder and black bra strap. Edward's mouth watered at the sight, wishing he could lean in and kiss the beauty spot on her collar bone, and slide the bra strap down and…

Dr. Banner coughed bringing the class to attention, "Okay class. So great news… today I am awarding you with your first project!"

The whole class apart from Edward and Bella, groaned.

"Please maintain your excitement," Dr. Banner said dryly, handing out the itinerary for the assignment.

"But sir!" Connor, a Michael Newton wannabe shouted from the back, "we've barely done anything. It's only the second week of the semester"

The class buzzed with agreement.

"Alright! Thank you for your input Mr Johnson," Dr. Banner said pointedly, making the boy shrink back in his seat "this is a partner assignment. I want to see how well you all work with your lab partners. Let's call it an experiment. You may choose what you focus your study on; it may be further research on what we have looked at so far, or you could possibly look at what we did last year. Is there any further questions?"

When no one answered, he nodded "You may start now."

Edward took this as an opportunity to speak to Isabella.

"Well partner, where do you want to do this?" _Your room… My room… it's your choice baby._

"We can meet in the library after school tomorrow."

Fantasies of her in his room; lying naked on his bed, chocolate hair against his gold comforter, holding just a biology textbook disappeared from his mind and replaced by the image of Mrs Cope the old librarian interrupting their sexy study session.

"The school closes their library as soon as school ends" Edward said, grasping at straws.

"I'm not talking about the school library, I'm talking about the public one."

Confusion swam through Edward's mind, "Forks has public library?" _When did that happen?_

"How long have you lived here?" she asked, exasperated.

He turned sheepish, "Seventeen years."

She sighed before turning her attention away from him and back to the itinerary. He wanted her attention on him again. Not on that stupid piece of paper. _You're seriously jealous of a piece of paper?_

"Why can't we just meet at my house?" he sounded like he was whining, but he couldn't give a shit, he'd already made a fool out of himself a record amount of times in front of this girl.

"Because you are a notorious player who is now targeting me," she replied bluntly "I don't even want to know what you're like in your own habitat."

Edward was offended. He wasn't that bad. The last time he had done anything with a girl was last Friday… okay maybe she had a point.

"I'm not an animal Swan… Well except between the sheets." He said jokingly.

Sadly she didn't seem to appreciate crude humour.

She wrinkled her nose adorably, "you're disgusting."

"You love it."

"Just meet me at the library."

The bell rang, signalling the end of the school day, and interrupting the longest conversation they had ever had. See progress.

"We should get to know each other first" Edward tried, picking his books up swiftly.

They walked out the class together, much to Isabella's distaste.

"And why on earth would I want to do that?"

"Well, we are going to be working with each other for a few weeks" Edward reasoned, following the brunette through the winding corridors. _Shit she's fast._ "Shouldn't I know what… I dunno… what your favourite colour is?"

"That's very trivial… and equally irrelevant."

They were outside now; Edward had to work quickly.

"Well, are you going to answer the question?"

Bella stopped in the parking lot, turning to him. He was so close, that he could smell her strawberry shampoo. _Does the girl get any more perfect?_ He knew deep down that she wasn't really, but… she was perfect to him.

She paused, and looked into his eyes, searching for something. He didn't know how long they just looked at each other, but he could safely say it was the most charged he ever felt around a girl. Electricity seemed to pulse around them.

"I will," she said carefully "if you meet me at the library."

Edward gave her a megawatt smile, "Fine. The library it is."

She nodded, but didn't move away from him. Could she possibly feel as hesitant to end the conversation as he was?

"Bella!"

The spell was broken. Edward looked up a bit peeved, at Rosalie who was standing, hands on her hips, glaring right back.

"See you Cullen" Isabella – Bella said, turning towards her sister.

"Wait!"

"What now?" he was irritating her, he realised amused.

"Your name is Bella?"

"Not to you Cullen. See you tomorrow."

She walked off, and he didn't try to stop her.

 _Bella_. He liked it.


	3. Getting to Know You

_**Disclaimer- all characters sadly belongs to the one and only Stephanie Meyer!**_

 _ **Chapter 3**_

Bella twirled her long chocolate locks into a bun, and stuck a pencil into it, eyes scrunching as she focused on the section she was reading.

It had been two hours since Edward had arrived at the library. Two hours of trying to concentrate on the first page of his textbook which talked about cells, and anaphases and prophases and all that shit. Two hours of trying to remove his eyes from his beautiful partner, who was highlighting like a pro, speeding through the work without one glance in his direction.

He had thought about trying to interrupt her precarious studying; excited to see that raging fire in her chocolate eyes… but he found that all her emotions would play across her face, kind of like an open book; and it was extremely entertaining.

Whenever she would find a particularly interesting piece of information, the skin around her eyes would relax, and a satisfied smile would take over her features. When she rubbed her forehead in frustration, Edward got the feeling that she had read something confusing. Or when she she'd quickly scan the text and huff, there was a suggestion that what she had just looked at was completely useless. He had never found a girl so fascinating; it made him wonder what her face would be like if she read a thriller novel, or watched an episode of Sherlock.

Suddenly she looked up, annoyance replacing the concentrated look in her eyes, "did your mother ever tell you staring is rude?"

"What's your favourite colour?" Edward replied, ignoring her question.

"Is that your best catch up line?" she scoffed, looking down again.

He rolled her eyes, and closed his textbook, knowing that it was a fruitless effort; "you promised me that you'd answer my questions if I came to the library," he gestured around him "well, here I am".

Forks Public Library was lucky to be open in his opinion- there were only three computers at the far end of the room, probably from the nineties, gathering dust, and the only other people there was the sixty old librarian who was snoring at the front desk, cat eyed glasses sliding down her crooked nose, and a couple making out in the corner. His room was definitely the better option.

Bella huffed, copying Edward by closing her book; "We have been here two hours and you've only highlighted two sentences… please tell me you're not one of those people who take credit for something but never contributed in the first place."

Edward couldn't help but feel hurt at this- "My GPA is nearly as high as yours Swan."

A flash of regret flickered in her eyes, "Look I'm sorry, but can we just work… please?"

Edward nodded reluctantly, but he couldn't let it go that easily. He waited several moments, before he tried again.

"So…"

"God"

"It's Edward actually"

"Are you always so inquisitive?"

"I just want to know more about you!" he defended.

"Well just ask around! There's plenty of gossip circulating anyway."

"And why would I listen to that bullshit?"

She paused, and looked at him confused "isn't that what all small town hicks do? Find out all about the fresh meat? Shouldn't you know what my star sign and middle name is by now?"

"All I know is that you're crazy intelligent and really fucking talented"

A gorgeous rosy pink spread across her cheeks, "Flattery won't get you anywhere Cullen" she said in a hopeless attempt to hide her blush.

"Humour Me," he whispered. His right hand rose without his accord, gently stroking the apple of her cheek. He could feel the heat through her silky skin… it was mesmerising. They stayed silent for a moment.

"Green."

He raised an eyebrow.

"That's my favourite colour" she clarified.

Edward awarded her with a small smile, fingers still caressing her, "Like my eyes?"

She snorted, and pushed him away from her "you wish."

Edward's smile grew, "Well my favourite colour is deep blue…"

Bella looked up at him questionably.

"You wore a deep blue blouse the other day," Edward swallowed, feeling slightly uncomfortable about saying this aloud "it made your skin glow… you looked… beautiful." _God, I sound like a pussy._

Another delightful blush warmed Bella's cheek, but this time Edward didn't' raise his hand, hoping he wouldn't totally scare her off.

"Um…" she stuttered, looking for something adequate to say.

"What's your favourite film?"

And instead of arguing, Bella pushed her notes away, and divulged.

…

An hour later, Bella and Edward still found themselves at the library, lost in conversation.

"Favourite book?"

Bella's face scrunched up adorably, pursing her lips, eyes flashing as she tried to form an answer, "That's like asking a parent who is their favourite child."

Edward thought for a second, "okay… what book would you take to a desert island, but never get sick of?"

"Isn't that the same question?" she reasoned.

"It's less direct… just answer Swan."

"Okay, okay! God, your pushy…" she teased, making him smile again "Probably 'Pride and Prejudice' … No… 'Gatsby'… No! 'Wuthering Heights'! I can't choose!"

Edward laughed at her distress loudly, leading the old librarian to harshly "shhh" him from across the room.

Bella covered her mouth, in an attempt to hide her giggles. She tipped her head towards the door, silently asking whether he wanted to get out of there.

He nodded, eager to continue their conversation.

They gathered their 'project', before making a hasty escape.

"So you're a closet romantic then?" Edward enquired, as they walked down the library steps towards the car park.

Bella rolled her eyes, "I believe there is love, of course" they came to a stop, in front of the Volvo "but there is also infatuation and lust… the line is very thin these days."

"So you don't think Jessica Stanley and Mike Newton are soul mates?" Edward joked.

She snorted, "No one at our age are in love… it's merely a passing fancy."

"Wasn't Daisy Buchanan eighteen when she met Jay Gatsby?"

The petite brunette looked at him startled, "You read 'Gatsby'?"

"'Reserving judgements is a matter of infinite hope.'" He quoted, "it's one of my favourites as well."

Again, they had one of those moments. The moments that Edward had come to crave; where they'd just look at one another, green into brown, trying to figure the other one out.

She coughed, "Well, Daisy didn't love Gatsby. She was a manipulative, self righteous bitch, who only cared about wealth and status."

"I always felt she was simply misunderstood. She was trapped between two men, between drama and passion, and stability and certainty… she was just lost."

Bella looked at him, but there was no ounce of revulsion or hate in her gaze, but simple surprise and admiration. "I never thought about it that way."

Edward shrugged, happy that he had finally proved her wrong.

"I better get going." She stated suddenly.

"Where's your car?" he looked around for the bright red car, but all was left was a rusty Clio.

"I walked."

"Let me drive you home" Edward said immediately.

"Rose is picking me up."

Edward wobbled at that… Rosalie kind of scared the shit out of him… not as much as the girl in front of him though.

"Okay, I'll wait with you."

"Edward," she sighed, "You don't need to act all gentlemanly on me."

"I don't mind" he insisted.

"Okay."

"Cool."

A minute of silence passed, which made Edward feel completely befuddled. Ten minutes before they had been chatting like long lost friends. He knew that she loved the classic movie era- Audrey Hepburn, Capucine, Claudia Cardinale.

He knew that the Beatles were her favourite band of all time, but she held a certain fascination for Paul McCartney. 'Live and Let Die', was her 'epic' song.

She had been taught the piano by her mother Renee when she was ten years old. Renee was always learning new stuff, from pottery to wind surfing. The piano was just another one of those spontaneous adventures, but her daughter took to it much more than she did.

Bella was self-taught on the guitar.

Her guilty pleasure was 'Friends', and she could quote a whole episode without the flash of an eyelid.

She once binge watched the whole first season of 'House of Cards' in one day.

Her mother's mother Marie was Italian, and taught Bella how to cook and even speak fluently the beautiful language.

Rosalie was her best friend, but she sometimes found it difficult talking to her… particularly when it came to reminiscing about their life in Phoenix.

All these wonderful things he had found out about her, did come at a price however. In return, he told her all about himself. His desires to go to Dartmouth; his aspirations to become a doctor, and helping people get better; his passions for sport and music; his weaknesses for his mother's homemade ravioli; his worries about just becoming that jock 'has been'.

Some things he told her were things he hadn't even told Jasper.

So how could things get so awkward, so damn quickly?

"When shall we meet next?"

"Tomorrow, after school?"

"I have football practise." He said regretfully, but then an idea popped into his head "but I can pick you up afterwards… we can go to my house?"

"What did I say about that?" she reminded him.

This time he rolled his eyes, "I think we both know Bella, that if I tried anything, you'd rip my balls off… c'mon, please?"

He stared deeply into her eyes, sticking his bottom lip out a little.

Bella stared entranced for a moment, then the honk of a horn brought her back into reality. "Fine, but don't be late!"

She ran to the BMW, where Rosalie sat, staring suspiciously at him.

But only one thing really stuck in his mind…

Did he just dazzle Bella Swan?

…

When Edward walked into his house, he knew something was up. The hairs on his neck stood up, and he could tell he was being watched. He walked slowly into the hallway, closing the door quickly behind him.

"Hello?" he called uncertainly.

He walked towards the kitchen, eyes scanning the familiar environment. Nothing was out of place… all was…

"SURPRISE!"

Edward leapt into the air; hand on heart "FUCKING HELL!"

He spun around, where his little cousin Alice sat on the staircase, watching him with amused silver eyes "hi there Eddie."

Edward tried to keep his glare in place, but a broad smile cracked through, and he laughed.

She grinned back, flinging herself into his embrace.

"Tinkerbell! You've finally left Pixie Hollow?" He grinned, swinging her 5'3 frame around in a circle.

"The fact that you know Tinkerbell lives in Pixie Hollow, is actually really sad Edward."

He put her down, but kept his hands on the top of her arms as he examined her.

"You cut your hair!" The last time he had seen her, her raven hair was down to her waist. Now it was in a stylish pixie cut, matching her nickname.

"Do you like it?" She questioned self consciously, running her fingers through it "mom had a heart attack when she saw it."

"I love it Tink," he assured her "speaking of Aunt Cynth, is she here too?" his emerald eyes scanned the room, but all he saw was her bright pink suitcase, sitting at the top of the stairs, "You're staying?"

"Yep!" she jumped up, clapping her hands together.

Alice lived in Biloxi, Mississippi with her single mother Cynthia Platt, his mother's little sister. Her father, Robert Brandon left them when Alice was seven, for a younger woman. His Auntie Cynth didn't take the split well, and had been battling with alcoholism up and down, for the last nine years. Last time he heard however, she had been sober.

"Mom is in rehab," Alice said quietly, sensing Edward's confusion. He looked down at her shocked "she had been doing really well. She stayed clean for a year, but last week, I found her unconscious with an empty bottle of vodka." She sniffed, and her eyes filled with tears.

"Oh Sprite" Edward took her into his arms, cradling her gently; he kind of felt like crying too. He loved his Auntie Cynthia, and wished she would be okay. She was an older version of Alice, always bouncing and full of life, never quite able to shut up. Neither of them deserved the grief that bastard had brought upon them.

She rubbed her eyes warily, "I called Auntie Esme and Uncle Carlisle, and they insisted that I stay here with you guys. I just thought she was getting better Eddie. She was smiling more often, we started spending more time together, and she even watched a whole season of Gossip Girl with me! But when I found her…" she trailed off, then a haunted look appeared in her eyes, disturbing Edward greatly. No sixteen-year-old girl should ever feel like that.

"Well I'm glad you're here Allie," Then he knew what would cheer her up "actually, I really need your advice…"

She pulled away, eyes a little puffy, but unmistakably curious.

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"Well… There's this… girl."

Alice's face lit up, before dimming slightly "I am not going the help you get into some innocent girl's pants Eddie."

"Why does everyone think I just want to sleep with her?" he threw his hands up in the air.

She cocked her head to the side, "Because you're a player Edward. I may have lived 800 miles away, but even I know that."

"I'm really not _that_ bad" He pouted. Even his baby cousin was roasting him.

She raised both eyebrows in disbelief, "when did you last have sexual intercourse?"

Edward hesitantly thought about it. It was just after he had seen Bella at the garage, and had a monumental hard on. He couldn't do it alone, so called some brunette in his Trig class… Bree? They hadn't gone all the way: just a hand job and some oral pleasure.

"Uh… Saturday?" he replied sheepishly, running a hand through his hair.

Alice scoffed, "I rest my case." She turned around, and went to move upstairs, but Edward quickly caught her arm, "Please Tink. She's… sorta special."

"Sorta?"

"Okay… really special." He looked at his feet, feeling coy all of a sudden, "She makes me feel nervous and unsure of myself. I'm completely intrigued by what she has to say, and sometimes I just fantasise talking to her, instead of just doing stuff with her. That doesn't mean I am not attracted to her though! She's the most beautiful girl in the world Allie. She has these amazing dark eyes, which are just like windows Al. I can see every emotion she feels, just by looking into them. She has long chocolate hair, which I imagine running my hands through, and silky smooth skin that I am itching to touch. She's… fucking perfect." _Did you just quote a Pink song? You are sounding more like Bruno Mars by the second, my friend._

Silence.

"Wow," Alice whispered, stunned "you are falling hard."

His head snapped up "no, no I'm not. I'm in like."

She laughed, "well if this is 'like' Edward, love is going to be pretty damn explosive." She stared at him for a moment, "fine. I'll help."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Edward nearly jumped up and down, Alice style.

"So, what do we do?"

"We are going to host a party."


	4. Temptations

_**Disclaimer- all characters sadly belongs to the one and only Stephanie Meyer!**_

 _ **So this is another build up chapter. Their relationship is continuing to grow, so bear with me! Hope you enjoy, and please review!**_

 _ **Chapter 4**_

Edward's palms were sweating like crazy. Seriously. He was going to start a fucking river, the way he was going. Maybe it was because it was an abnormally hot day in Forks, and he was stuck in a pair of jeans, not anticipating the nice weather.

But he knew it was because he was nervous. He tried to relax, rubbing his hands against his jeans furiously, but all he could think about was- A) He was outside the Police Chief's house, B) He was going to be spending a whole afternoon with Bella Swan in his _bedroom,_ and C) His car smelt like a goddamn locker room.

An idea popped into his head, and he quickly rummaged around the side compartment of his door.

"Aha!" he pulled out an air freshener still in its packet, triumphantly. He remembered buying it ages ago, when his mom complained about the stench of his car. Edward ripped it open, a whiff of mint entering his senses as he hung it on the mirror.

 _Perfect._

Then a flash of brown caught his eye. Bella. She wandered down the steps of her home, obviously looking fucking amazing – when didn't she? She had her hair down, in messy beach waves, pushed back by a pair of Rayban sunglasses. She wore dark blue denim shorts, and a v-neck sky blue t-shirt, which matched her chucks. He let out a deep sigh at the sight. Edward didn't believe that there would ever come a time where he wasn't stunned by her beauty.

He jumped out of the car, and raced around the other side, ready to open the door for her. She gave him a surprised smile. He bowed teasingly when she met him at the door, "Your carriage awaits Milady."

Bella giggled, sending Edward's heart into overload, "Thank you kind sir" she mock curtsied.

Edward jogged back to his side once she had gotten comfortable, rubbing his palms again. "Act cool, Edward" he muttered to himself, before getting back in.

Bella sat, a half smile on her face, "Nice car" she conversed, shocking him slightly. This was the first time she had voluntarily initiated conversation with him.

"Thanks. Not too ostentatious?"

"Have you met my sister?" Bella laughed, pointing over her shoulder at the red BMW as they drove off, "It's a Volvo XC90, right?" She further quizzed.

Edward was again thrown off by her. Yes, she worked in a garage, but it never occurred to him that she knew about cars _that_ well. But this was Bella Swan – his dream girl.

"Right," he confirmed, he then took the opportunity to learn more about her; "what is your dream car?"

"The Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato Volante" she said without hesitation.

"Okay, now you're just impressing me" Edward laughed. He couldn't help but agree, however. He imagined Bella naked on the hood of that car, pale white and chocolate brown against cherry red. _Am I drooling?_

Luckily Bella didn't notice, "Just a bit," she dismissed offhandedly "but so are you."

Edward took his eyes off the road for a second, looking at her bewildered "what do you mean?"

"You put that air freshener up before I got in the car." She commented, watching the green trees whiz past them.

"That's been there for ages!" He spluttered.

"Nope. It wasn't there when you offered me a ride yesterday."

"Perhaps you were being unobservant."

She quirked an eyebrow at him, and he mentally scolded himself. The girl had eyes on the back of her head – God help her kids in the future.

"The packet is at your feet, so you probably threw it away in a hurry, and the car still kind of stinks so it couldn't have been here for that long. Plus the tips of your ears are red."

He took one of his hands off the steering wheel to hide the ear in her line of her sight- "God damn it Swan, it's so hard to impress you!"

"I never said I wasn't impressed."

He turned to face her sharply, but she was still looking out the window, "Eyes on the road Cullen" she said absentmindedly.

…

When they approached his house, he heard Bella's quick intake of breath. He inwardly smiled; that was a typical reaction when people saw the house for the first time. It was built around the 1900s, and had that graceful yet timeless quality about it. It stood at an impressive three stories tall, painted a soft white, and had a cute porch at the front, with a swing seat at the far right. It looked like something out of an Austen novel.

"Wow" Bella breathed.

"Better than the library?"

She flashed him a gorgeous grin, "Marginally" she joked back.

Her laid back attitude made him feel increasingly more relaxed. He brought the car to a halt, and practically ran to open the door for her. He was awarded with another sweet smile when she got out of the car.

"I must warn you," he said, leading her to the house "my baby cousin is staying with us at the minute. She's a bit of a talker, so I am going to apologise in advance."

"I'm sure you exaggera-"

"Hi! You must be Bella! I'm Alice, Edward's cousin! Wow, you're really pretty, Edward said you were. Did he mention the party Friday? I bet he hasn't. Y'know he can be a real pussy someti-"

"OKAY! Bella this, as she has already pointed out, is Alice."

He ran a hand through his hair nervously, hoping that Alice hadn't scared her away. After a moment of silence, Edward was sure that Bella was going to make a run for it. But as always, she surprised him.

"Alice! It's so great to meet you!" Bella smiled, before taking his cousin into a hug… shocking the hell out of him. Where was his hug?

Alice smiled brightly at him over her shoulder, but even Edward could see the bemused look in her eyes. Not everyone took to Alice as warmly, often thinking her as a bit too eccentric for his or her tastes.

"How long are you staying here?" Bella continued, stepping away.

"Indefinitely," Alice replied casually "I'm starting at Forks High tomorrow!"

"What year are you in?"

"Junior"

"My sister Rose and her boyfriend Emmett are juniors," Bella smiled "you should sit with us!"

Both Alice and Edward's eyes widened in disbelief, and in Alice's case- delight. Edward couldn't believe what was going on. Here was the girl he had been obsessing over for a year, and trying to gain the attention of for a little under two weeks, and his baby cousin had not only got a hug and conversation with her, but an INVITATION to her goddamn table!

No one had ever been invited there as far as he knew. The Swan-Hale-McCarty table was almost as sacred as the Cullen-Whitlock table. Both were practically untouchable.

"I'd love that!" Alice squealed, jumping up and down wildly.

Edward continued to gawk at the scene.

"Great!" Bella said enthusiastically, "Edward and I better get going on this project, but it was really nice meeting you Alice!"

"You too! Thank you so much Bella! I'll see you tomorrow!" She gave Bella a huge hug, before skipping away.

Edward let out a hoarse cough, shaking his head "Well you just made her day"

She grinned, "She was really sweet."

Edward nodded, leading her up the stairs "Alice is like my sister; she is the coolest person I know."

"Does she come to Forks often?"

He looked back at her over his shoulder, "she used to come over a lot when we were younger. Every holiday, she would come and stay with us. She only stopped coming when we hit our teens, because of family stuff, but even then we'd FaceTime, call and Whatsapp whenever we had time."

When they finally reached the third storey, Edward gestured to the door at the bottom of hall. She opened the door almost gingerly, as if she was entering a secret lair.

"So this is my room"

"I… I like it" She said, as if surprised.

The room was massive, and made up of neutral colours – all browns and creams. He had a double bed, with gold sheets against the left wall, while the western wall was completely covered with shelf after shelf of CDs, DVDs, and even a few vinyls. It looked more like a display at a music store than a teenage boy's bedroom. A fancy stereo system sat amongst his vast collection.

The southern wall was completely made out of glass, looking over the lush green forest that surrounded the house. A desk sat against it. Edward loved sitting there when he was writing songs, looking outward for inspiration.

However, the most impressive object in the whole room was the black baby grand piano that was in the corner of the vast room.

Bella's eyes wandered around the room, as she walked in, not sure what she should first pay attention to. She looked up at the huge stacks of CDs, running her fingers along the cases lightly; "you have so much music."

Edward stuffed his hands in his pockets, waiting for her to continue.

"Why don't you just download all of it on your iPod or phone like everyone else?"

"I do have an iPod. But I don't know. There's something I like, about just going into a random music store and buying the record… it's stupid."

"I actually think that's kind of cool. I do the same thing with my books. I refuse to buy a kindle."

He gave her a small smile happy that there was another thing they had in common, besides cars and musical tastes.

She pressed play on the stereo, and the melodious 'Symphony No. 6, 4th Movement' filled the room. She let out a long sigh at the sound; "Tchaikovsky" she murmred.

"Surprised Swan?"

She shrugged, closing her eyes, swaying to the music. Edward debated on his next move, but sucked up his nerve and slowly moved behind her, pressing his body against hers lightly, moving with her; she remained silent, lulled by the music.

He scraped his nails faintly down her arm, and entwined their fingers together. He buried his face in her neck, inhaling her strawberry scent, scared that she was going to disappear any moment, because surely this was a dream… Bella Swan would never let him get this close to her.

The moment was intense but magical. He could have stayed I that position forever. Just him and her, the music caressing them as they, moved together. It did not fail to escape his attention that they were perfect in sync, completely in tune with the other. It was something he had never experienced before.

Stunned, Edward whispered a quiet "wow" into her skin.

"What?" Bella wandered, eyes still closed, fingers still entwined with his, as she stayed entranced by the flawless tune.

Edward looked for something to say, not wanting to sound an even bigger girl than he already was- "You're speechless."

He regretted it as soon as he said it. She snapped out from her trance, pulling her hand from his, and moving across the room. He missed the heat of her body, and delicious scent immediately.

"Am not" she said stubbornly crossing her arms across her chest.

"I can play the piano too you know." He added quickly in the hope of trying to regain the comfortable atmosphere.

She rolled her eyes, "I know."

"Of course you do," he huffed, frustrated "What gave it away? My long artistic fingers? The way I move with the music?"

"And the big ass piano over there" she said, pointing over to the baby grand.

He wanted to shake himself of his stupidity. The one time he actually thought he got her, and it fell flat; "Oh yeah… that too."

"Plus you're in my music class" She further remarked, grudgingly.

He raised an eyebrow at her, shock colouring his features.

She fidgeted uncomfortably; "Why are you so surprised?"

"I never thought you noticed me."

"Well, I think we have both established that I am pretty attentive Cullen."

"Understatement of the century" He muttered

"Can we get started on that project now?"

 _Way to ruin the moment Cullen._

…

"Beellllaaaaa" Edward moaned. They had been working for a solid three hours, pausing every once in while to consult the other on what to write next.

His ass was killing him as he had sat, crossed legged on the hard wooden floor, whilst Bella lay on her stomach, leaning on her arms as she wrote furiously.

"Can we have a break now?" he whined "We are literally over half way now!"

Bella looked down at her watch, "yeah, we can stop. I should probably go home now."

Disappointment filled Edward, as he was hoping that they would be able to talk more. She rose up, and stretched, revealing the soft skin of her belly and… wait.

"You have your bellybutton pierced?" Edward gasped.

There was no mistake. It was definitely there. A sapphire coloured jewel, stark against her white stomach. _AS IF SHE COULD GET ANY HOTTER! NOW SHE HAS TO HAVE A FUCKING BELLYBUTTON PIERCING. MY FUCKING KRYPTONITE!_ His inner voice screamed at him.

She quickly put he arms down, and put her hand protectively over her already covered stomach, "yes. Why?"

"N-no r-reason." _Think bad thoughts- Jasper in a thong, that one time you caught mom and dad doing the nasty… oh yeah that's done it._

She picked up the rest of the work as he got rid of his raging erection. How he walked around normally with this girl he never knew.

 _Bring up the party!_ Inner Edward whispered.

 _But she never comes to parties!_ He reasoned back.

 _Just fucking ask her!_

"Uh Bella?"

Bella stopped and looked at him, "Yes?"

"So, do you remember earlier when Alice mentioned the party?"

"The one where she said you were too much of a pussy to ask me to?

 _Man overboard!_ Alarm bells were going off in his head, as his inner voices started going on a rampage. _The woman said pussy! We need bad thoughts STAT! REMEMBER THE BREATHY MOANS OF YOUR MOTHER EDWARD! REMEMBER YOUR FATHER'S NAKED REAR!_

 _Holy shit, my dick is dead._

"Yeah, that one" _is it me or is my voice sounding like I am on helium?_ "So, yeah," he coughed, trying to make his voice deeper "We are having a welcoming party for Alice on Friday night, and I was wondering if y-you would like to come?"

Bella didn't say anything.

"Rosalie and Emmett can come too of course" he rushed, "I was going to spread the word tomorrow at school, and…"

"Sure,"

He stopped, "Really?"

"It's for Alice?" she repeated.

He nodded.

"Then we'll be there."

Edward's forehead scrunched up, "you'd come just for Alice?"

"Yes."

"But you barely know her." It didn't really make sense to him. He knew Bella had been invited to all of the parties since she had arrived at Forks from her fellow classmates; but she never accepted one. What was so different about Alice?

"I remember what it was like being the new girl. The whispers; the rumours; the question of who to trust. I want to be there for her."

Edward couldn't help but feel touched by this, and he felt an overwhelming gratitude towards her. He was glad that Alice had someone like Bella who was looking out for her. He loved Alice to pieces, but he knew that she didn't have many friends back in Mississippi. It was sad because she was so loveable, but people were too narrow minded to accept her bubbly, outgoing personality.

He couldn't control himself. He stood up and walked towards her, pulling her into a hug. He brought her into the circle of his arms and gripped her tightly, burying his face in her hair.

She stayed still for a moment, before slipping her arms around his waist.

They fit together… like puzzle pieces. His lines and her lines were completely equal. Her head fitted into the crook of his neck perfectly. They were perfect together.

"Thank you… thank you so much" he said brokenly.

She lifted her head to look into his eyes, "What for?"

"For caring. For being there for her."

A beautiful, genuine smile lit her face.

They were inches apart; one small move and they would be kissing, his fingers traced patterns into her back. _Should I go for it? Is this it?_

"Bella, would you like me to give you a lift… Oh!"

Alice stood in the doorway, frozen. Bella leapt away from him. If looks could kill, Alice would be on the floor.

"That would be great Alice!" Bella said, picking up the rest of her notes, and rushing out the door.

"For fucks sake Alice!" Edward screamed, pulling his hair.

"I really like her Edward."

"Yeah me too. And if you hadn't barged in…"

She ignored him, and marched up to him, a determined yet scary expression on her face "Seriously Edward. She may be my first real friend. And if you hurt her, I _will_ kill you."

She then spun around, following Bella.

 _Christ, these girls are going to be the fucking end of me._


	5. The Party

_**Disclaimer- all characters sadly belongs to the one and only Stephanie Meyer!**_

 _ **Chapter 5**_

The next day, Edward found himself sitting next to Jasper at their usual table- at the top of the cafeteria, overlooking the student body. However, all his focus was on the double doors, waiting for Bella's arrival, nervously spinning a yellow lemonade top between his fingers.

"So… how is Operation Isabella Swan going?" Jasper questioned, sticking a soggy French fry in his mouth. His words were directed at Edward, but his eyes were flirting with Nettie, Maria's best friend, who sat on a separate table. She coyly twirled a blonde curl between her fingers, but flirtation was clear in her movements.

"Good."

Jasper's attention snapped back to his best friend, "Really?"

"Sure."

At that moment, the doors opened, and in walked Alice and Bella – it was like watching one of those fucking cliché teen flicks, which Edward usually hated. Bella was laughing at something Alice had said, face alight with amusement, her hair flew behind her by some unknown draft in shiny curls, and she looked annoyingly good in dark skinny jeans, and a lavender striped shirt, layered over a white tank top.

What made it all the more frustrating was, while Edward practically salivated over her; she didn't even spare a glance towards their table, despite all the fucking progress he made yesterday!

"Whoa Ed!"

Edward looked down and found that he had been gripping the lemonade lid so hard that it was cutting into his skin. He put it down quickly.

"Uh… we aren't really at the stage where we greet each other publically."

"Jesus Edward, this bet is getting too fucking easy" Jasper laughed, smacking Edward on the back.

"She's playing hard to get" Bella sat down at her usual table with Emmett and Rosalie, Alice sitting beside her. The four started talking animatedly. He wished he could just get up and join them. Slide into the seat next to Bella, and put his arm around her. He grunted, looking down.

"Did your folks give the green light about the party Friday?"

"Moms out of town meeting some clients, and its dad's night shift at the hospital."

"So let me get this straight… no parents, free house, a party and Isabella is coming?"

"She said she was."

"So here is your golden ticket, man!"

Edward snorted, taking a bite from his apple "thanks for the approval Willy Wanker".

"Original" Jasper rolled his eyes.

Edward returned to his staring, mesmerised by Bella as she pushed a chocolate strand behind her ear and bit her lip.

"For God's sake Eddie, stalkers aren't sexy! Would you stop your… wait! Who's the hottie?"

Edward turned to see who Jasper was gawking at, but found that his eyes were glued to the very table that had been the centre of his thoughts. He groaned.

"Fucking hell Jasper! Stay the hell away from her!"

"Hey! Did I argue when you called dibs on Swan in Junior year? It's my – Ow!"

Jasper gripped the arm that Edward had punched, more in shock than pain.

"That's my cousin, you piece of shit!"

His best friend's eyes widened, looking back at Alice disbelievingly, _"That's_ Ally 'Tinkerbell' Brandon? S-she, she…. Wow… she's all grown up."

Edward hit him again "Dude remember the code!"

"But I never knew you'd get such a fit cousin" Jasper whined, stare still fixed on his surrogate sister.

"Jazz" Edward said slowly, almost threateningly "keep your fucking dick in your pants."

"Fine." He pouted, crossing his arms across his chest.

The 'code' was something Edward and Jasper came up with in freshman year. There were three rules. 1) Neither would pursue or have sex with a girl the other had been with before, 2) Both could 'dibs' on a girl for themselves, thus making them unavailable to the other and 3) They were not allowed to date or sleep with a relative of the other. Pure and simple.

The shrill bell rang through the school, alerting them of their next lesson, "See ya later" Jasper said, walking towards Maria. It was their second week in dating so they were rapidly approaching their break up date.

Edward got up, making his way towards gym, when suddenly somebody slammed into him.

While he remained standing, his attacker crashed to the floor- papers and books flying everywhere in the process.

"What the fuck?"

At his feet, Ben Cheney in all his geeky glory, sat, eyes wide with terror. His glasses slipped down his nose as he stuttered out an apology.

"O-oh m-my god. I am so sorry Edward. It was m-my f-fault."

Edward opened his mouth, ready to flip the fuck out, when Bella's voice rang through his head- _"you're cruel… I see how you treat poor people like Ben Cheney and Eric Yorkie."_

He froze, an ice-cold bucket of guilt running through his body. He looked down at the pathetic boy, who looked close to tears as he held his comic books to his chest.

"Not your fault Cheney… sorry, Ben. I should have been looking where I was going." The words felt foreign on his tongue. Ben's jaw went slack with shock, not quite believing what was going on… what alternate universe had he found himself in?

Edward bent down, and picked up Ben's things before handing them back to him. Ben fumbled slightly, his stare making Edward feeling increasingly uncomfortable.

The warning bell filled the awkward silence; Edward flashed a smile at Ben who looked like he had gone in to shellshock.

"See you later Ben!" he called, half running to class.

"B-bye?" It came out almost as a question.

Edward continued on his way, one thought on constant repeat- _what the hell had Isabella Swan done to me?_

…

Friday night, 12:45am and the party was in full swing. Edward's living room was busting with grinding bodies, and drunk sways as the Senior and Junior class of Forks High danced to Selena Gomez's "It Ain't Me".

Edward took an anxious swig of his beer, scanning the room for any sign of Bella. There had already been a bit of drama, when Maria caught Jasper and Nettie making out in the cupboard underneath the stairs. She just swore in a string of Spanish words, threw her drink at Jasper, before stalking out. Jazz didn't seem to bothered about it, as he sat of the living room sofa, with Nettie sat on his lap. Some friend she had turned out to be.

A warm body sidled up against him, causing Edward to look down. Tanya Denali looked up under her eyelashes, trailing her index finger down Edwards's chest. She looked alright, he supposed. She wore a tight khaki lace up dress; tits raised high. Her strawberry hair sat in a topknot on her head, red lips glistening.

"Hey Edward"

"Hi Tanya" he said, smirking slightly. He had gotten with Tanya over the summer at one of Tyler Crowley's parties. She was a pretty good kisser, but Jasper got sick, so they had to cut their making out session a little early.

"Y'know," she whispered into his ear, "I really want to pick up what we started last summer…"

Edward, opened his mouth to reply, but then the front door opened, snapping his attention away from the desperate girl before him.

Rosalie and Emmett walked in first. Rosalie looked gorgeous, as per usual, in a violet halter dress, golden hair brought to the side. She held hands with her giant boyfriend who was grinning at the sight before him.

Then, in followed Isabella. And… Just wow.

She wore a long sleeved, body con burgundy dress, which hit mid thigh. It made her look classy but extremely sexy all at the same time. The colour matched her lipstick perfectly, bringing out the cupid bow of her lips. Her long hair hung in glorious loose curls down her back.

"Edward?"

Edward looked back at Tanya, _and you thought she looked good?_

He dragged her talons from his white button up shirt, "Excuse me Tanya."

Edward walked over to Bella, who just stood, taking in the spectacle. Now he could see her up close, he could see her fuck me heels. They were these huge golden stilettos, with a jewelled strap. _Jesus, imagine fucking her just wearing those heels…_

"Bella!" bringing her attention to him "I was beginning to think you were never going to come!"

Bella rolled her eyes, "Rose has this thing about being late... She says it gives a better entrance, and that the best time to come is when everyone is too drunk to judge or socialise."

"Well she was definitely right about that. You look… well. You are beyond words."

She smiled shyly, "Thanks Edward." Her eyes brightened "but if you're wanting a quickie, you better go back to Tanya."

Just as Edward went to object, Bella pushed past him, squealing. "There she is!"

She wrapped Alice in her embrace, Edward hovering between feeling overwhelming affection and genuine annoyance.

"Bella! You look fabulous! Where did you get that dress from?" Alice babbled, dragging the object of Edward's desire away from him and to the kitchen.

He mumbled, peeved off as he followed them. Alice grabbed a can of Malibu, passing it to Bella, to which she shook her head.

"Have you got any beer?" Bella asked.

Edward raised an eyebrow; normally pretty girls liked fruity shit and vodka, which made them giggly and annoying. If Bella Swan was a beer girl, she had just earned major cool points in his book.

"Guinness okay?"

Bella grinned, "definitely."

Edward tossed her a can from his fridge; he normally didn't share his stash with others, but he'd make an exception for her.

Alice excused herself to say hello to Rosalie and Emmett, leaving them alone, music pounding.

"So, Guinness?" Bella questioned, raising the can to her lips.

"My family have a long Irish heritage, hence the name Cullen. My dad's sister Maggie and her husband Liam still live there."

"That's really cool, I've always wanted to go there. After college, I may go travelling around Europe, and make a pit stop there."

She jumped on top of the kitchen counter, next to where Edward was leaning, her dress hitching higher up on her thigh. Edward gulped.

"Well I'd definitely recommend it. Going to the UK is pretty cool; I was wanting to go backpacking there too."

Bella smiled, "maybe I'll see you there."

"Yeah, I-"

 _CRASH_

Edward jumped a mile, before racing to where the sound came from. His heart went was in his throat when he caught sight of smashed glass on the floor, but calmed when he saw it was just a photo frame- easily replaceable.

The experience kind of shocked him into the realisation with how angry Esme would be if she came home to this mess, and with the playoffs being next week, he couldn't risk getting grounded.

"Okay guys, I think we better wrap this up."

The group groaned, and complained "Alright fuckers! Seriously, move your ass out of here!"

He turned back to the kitchen to grab a dustpan and brush. Bella was still drinking her Guinness on the counter. "Throwing me out so soon?" she asked.

"No! You, Rosalie and Emmett can stay. You're the only ones Ally really wanted here anyway."

She nodded softly, "I'll let them know" but as she moved to get up, Edward gently placed a hand on her arm, "be careful about the glass."

She gave him a half smile, nodding again, before leaving to grab her sister and Emmett from the departing crowd.

Alice skipped in not even ten seconds later, "so Bella, Rose and Emmett are staying?" she asked happily.

"Yep."

"Well it looks like this night is finally going to get a little bit more interesting…"

…

The six of them sat in a circle, Jasper was staying the night, so had to part from his new squeeze, much to her displeasure. He sat on Edward's left, hickies decorating his neck, a satisfied smile on his lips.

"Let's play truth or dare!" Alice squealed, bouncing as she clapped her hands.

The other girls and Edward groaned at the suggestion, "Seriously Ali? What are we, twelve? And is it such a good idea to do that while drunk?"

"Oh shut up grumpward, my party, my rules. Okay, me first!" she turned to Emmett.

"Truth or dare?"

His blue eyes twinkled mischievously, "dare, of course."

Alice smirked evilly, "I dare you to give Jasper a lap dance."

The group laughed as Jasper spluttered, turning a bright red.

"Come over here cowboy" Emmett drawled jokingly, before slut dropping it in front of him.

Everyone was in tears, as Jasper hid behind his hands, away from Emmet's twerking ass, and exaggerated thrusts. Jasper continued to keep his face hidden, even when Emmett sat back in his seat.

"Bella, your turn!" Rosalie grinned "truth or dare?"

"Truth" she shrugged, sipping her beer.

"Where's the most adventurous place you've had sex?"

Edward's eyes widened, and he leaned forward, desperate to hear the answer.

She furrowed her brow, clicking her tongue, unaware of Edward sweating.

"Probably in the boy's locker room, after the championship game last year."

Jasper and Alice gasped, while Emmett and Rosalie hollered and laughed. Meanwhile, Edward was caught between being extremely turned on, imagining pressing Bella up against the lockers, their skin sticky from perspiration as she screamed his name, and insanely jealous. Who the hell was this guy, she had sex with? Was he her boyfriend? Or was she just as open with sex as he was?

"Who with, Bells?" Alice asked eagerly.

"My first and only boyfriend, Stefan."

"He was so gorgeous" Rosalie sighed, "he was a transfer, from another small town in Virginia. Intelligent, compassionate, he was such a heartthrob. And his older brother was also insanely good looking."

Emmett coughed slightly, snapping Rosalie out of her starry-eyed gaze, "Oh don't worry Emmy, you know you're the only one for me. Plus, those boys only had a thing for brunettes, didn't they Bells?"

Bella blushed, and Edward stewed in envy, his anger building to the point where he had to stuff the fists of his hands into his pockets. What kind of name was Stefan?

"Are you still together?" Alice continued to question, making Edward ponder on whether or not to kiss her, or strangle her.

"No, we broke it off, three weeks after I moved here. We're still friends though, and he's dating someone new now."

Edward inwardly, began to dance.

"Shame." Alice said, disappointed.

"Anyway," Bella perked up, in the hope to turn the attention elsewhere "Alice, truth or dare?"

…

An hour later, and the six of them felt very well acquainted. They learnt that Jasper had lost his virginity in the backseat of his dad's Chevy on his fifteenth birthday, Emmett had once done ecstasy but would never touch it again, and Alice had once gone on a date with a man off Tinder. Edward had slept with one of his dad's trainee nurses who thought he was eighteen when he was sixteen, Bella was once asked to have a threesome with a girl and her boyfriend in a college party she crashed in Phoenix (to which she declined), and Rosalie's favourite position was reverse cowgirl.

Emmett had also streaked through the forest, at the back of Edward's house; Jasper allowed Alice to give him a makeover, Rosalie drank four shots, before proceeding to do five consecutive cartwheels, Alice swore to give up shopping for a week (tearfully) and Bella performed her secret talent- being able to walk on her hands.

"Edward, your dare!" Jasper said his pink lipstick smeared over his face, panda eyes prominent.

Edward downed a shot quickly.

"I dare you to seven minutes in heaven with Miss Isabella Swan"

The room went from vibrant, and relaxed, to quiet and still in 0.5 seconds flat. Edward looked nervously over at the brunette, who looked just as beautiful as she did when she walked in three hours ago- brown hair tousled.

She sighed, before clambering up "c'mon then Cullen."

She strutted to the closet under the stairs, leaving Edward gaping behind her. Jasper clasped his hand on his shoulder "your welcome" he muttered, pushing him in Bella's direction.

The four watched Edward stumble into the closet, half drunk, half stunned.

He closed the door quickly behind him, leaving them in darkness. Bella brought her phone out, the bright light casting shadows across her face "Okay seven minutes from now."

"We don't have to do anything" Edward said, while he needed her lips on his, the taste of her in his mouth, he wouldn't do it if she wasn't ready.

"Oh, I know." Bella said, sitting down.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting comfortable," Bella said nonchalantly, "you didn't think I was actually going to kiss you?"

Edward couldn't help but feel a little stung by the comment, annoyance filling him rapidly. "You wouldn't be able to handle it anyway," he grumbled, under his breath.

As soon as he said it, she looked up, he could already feel the fire her eyes were spitting at him, even through the darkness.

"What did you say?" She said furiously

"I said" he replied, putting emphasis on his words "You _could not handle it"_

They were toe to toe now; he could feel her breath on his face. Earlier he would have melted at being this close to her. But now he was just plain pissed. Who was this girl? Making him feel weak and emotional. Making him feel not good enough. Making him wanting to be a better person. Making him not want anyone else. Making him jealous. He didn't get jealous. He was Edward Cullen. Girls fell at his feet. He was king.

What was she doing to him?

He felt her hands push him against the door, "Like hell I couldn't Cullen. It's more the other way round."

He put her hands on her waist, turning them so she was against the door, trapped between it and him, "oh yeah?" he whispered harshly into her ear, "prove it."

She let out a low, frustrated growl, and slammed her lips to his.

Her hands weaved themselves into his hair, and pulled harshly, but the pain was pleasurable. He let out a low groan in bliss, picking her up, higher against the door. She wrapped her legs around him, her heels digging into his lower back. He put his hands on her thighs, dragging his fingernails down them. She moaned.

Their mouths crashed together, teeth, lips, tongues; dancing passionately, as their anger and frustration fuelled their wandering hands.

He dragged his mouth from hers, down her neck, leaving a long wet lick down the column of her throat. She panted, pushing him harder into her skin. But when he started sucking, she yanked him away with his hair.

"What the hell" he slurred, drunk on the atmosphere; you could cut the sexual tension with a knife.

"I don't do hickeys," she whispered, tugging his earlobe between her teeth. With one hand still on her thigh, holding her aloft, he slid the other into her hair, the soft chocolate curls feeling heavenly between his fingers. He guided her head gently, but firmly back to his mouth, their tongues once again battling for dominance.

It was by far, one of the most erotic experiences of Edward's whole life.

Then Bella's phone buzzed, signalling that time was up. Bella used her strength, heaving Edward away from her. He still couldn't see her, due to the darkness, but he knew she'd be utterly beautiful.

"That was…"

"A one time thing." She said quickly, picking her phone up off the floor.

Edward froze, unable to believe what she had just said. Did she feel what he just felt? The electricity that buzzed through their connected lips? The explosion when their tongues touched? The fiery heat between them?

"B-"

She was already gone.


	6. Friends

_**Disclaimer- all characters sadly belongs to the one and only Stephanie Meyer!**_

 _ **Okay guys, just a warning- I am British and have NO clue about the NFL, so I have basically left out the game. Sorry about that! But hope you enjoy the rest! XD! Lots of love xo**_

 _ **Chapter 6**_

If Edward thought Bella Swan was a closed book before the events of Friday night, he was severely mistaken. Since their kiss, Bella Swan wouldn't even look him in the eye, let alone talk to him. What little progress he had made over the last two weeks were crashing and burning before his eyes.

He tried to convince her to speak to him; asking her questions about the project – useless, empty questions which he already knew the answer to; he even tried to lull her into conversations with the topic of Alice, but all she'd offer him was a distant smile and a short nod. It was infuriating to say the least… after everything, how could she dismiss their – albeit a slow building – friendship so easily?

It was during their last Biology lesson on a boring Wednesday afternoon, three days of cold silences and one-word answers, when Edward finally cracked.

"Swan?" he whispered under his breath, as Banner turned to write something on the board.

"What Cullen?" she sighed, not even looking into his direction.

"You okay?"

"Spectacular. Just as I have been every other day you've asked me," She replied snottily.

"I can't help it, if I care about you" he said defensively.

"Well care less."

Edward silently fumed, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the lab table.

The bell rang, signalling the end of the lesson. He waited until she packed all her things away, before gently but firmly taking her arm and leading her from the classroom.

"Edward, what the hell are you doing? Let go of my arm!" she spat, struggling in his grasp. But he wasn't letting go. Enough was enough. Other students just stared at them, jumping out of Edward's path as he stormed to the one place where no one would disturb them.

He led her into an empty janitor's closet, a place where he had enjoyed a number of sexual encounters. He pulled her inside, ignoring several gasps and hushed whispers before locking them in.

He stood in front of the door, blocking the lock with his arms crossed staring at Bella under the yellow, artificial light. He suddenly felt extremely nervous.

"Well this looks a little familiar?" He joked, hoping to ease the sudden tension

She stared back, face scrunched up in displeasure, her stance matching his. He would've thought she looked cute under any other circumstances, but right now? It just made him even more pissed off.

"If you think you are getting another steamy make out session, then I am afraid you are sorely mistaken." She said icily.

Edward returned her glare, "Look, all I want to do is clear the air."

"Edward Cullen trying to be a nice guy? Who knew this day would finally come?"

"Why don't you believe me when I say that I care about you? That I care about this… relationship going somewhere!"

"Relationship?" she scoffed at the word, "Edward we've had one decent conversation, and kissed once during a lapse of judgement. You don't know me at all!"

"I do know you! Maybe not as well as I want to…"

"Like hell you do Edward! What? You know my favourite song and my dream car, and suddenly we are soul mates? Do you realise how mental you sound?"

"Oh for fuck's sake Bella! Shut your goddamn mouth, and _listen_ for one second! Can you do that?"

Her mouth formed one thin line but she didn't say anything.

"You are the most annoying woman I have ever met,"

"Hang o-"

"You think you're constantly right; presuming what type of person I am and making assumptions which at times, can be downright hurtful. You're too fucking proud, and never admit you're wrong."

He took a deep breath, readying himself for the next part of his speech… the most important part.

"But you're also the most beautiful person I have ever laid eyes on, and completely unassuming of it. You are passionate about what you believe in, and you call me out on all my bullshit when no one else will. You are kind; sticking up for your friends, and that kindness makes me want to become a better person. You're crazy intelligent; you know about cars, you speak other languages, you can play instruments – sometimes I think you have fucking superpowers. You also give the most amazing, explosive kisses I have ever experienced, which make me want to throw you up against a wall and fuck you senseless, but also cradle you in my arms underneath a blossom tree, and just… be. But above all – you are the strongest person I have ever met, because if I ever lost my mom, God knows where I'd be or what I'd do."

Bella's eyes shone with unshed tears, her lips parted and stance relaxed as she stared at the boy in front of her – totally vulnerable as he poured his heart out to her. But he hadn't finished just yet.

"And they – Isabella Swan – they are the reasons why I care about you. They are the reasons why I want to get to know you more than I already do. So can you let you fucking pride down and let me?"

There was a moment of silence. He waited with baited breath, because if she wasn't going to accept this, then he was finished. He'd pay Jasper's fucking repairs, and move on, because while Isabella Swan was the only girl he could honestly say he ever had an inkling of feeling for, what was the point of fighting for a girl who didn't even want to be fought _for?_

After two minutes of absolute quiet, Edward was getting increasingly more aware that school had ended and the janitor would be there any moment.

"Bella?" he asked, hesitantly.

"Shh" she said harshly, making him flinch.

She walked up to him, staring at him with an unwavering gaze.

 _Shit, she's going to kick me in the balls. Or slap me in the face. Shit. Please no – these are the money-makers!_

 _I knew you shouldn't have mentioned that she was annoying! Or maybe she's mad at the bit where you'd say you want to throw her up against a wall and fuck her. Sure it was meant to be a compliment, but this girl needs to be made love to… not fucked._

It was only when Bella placed her hands against his face was he finally able to shut his inner conscience up. He looked down at her startled; she was looking at him, almost like she had never really seen him before. Her fingertips traced his lips and jaw line, caressing him as if she was making sure he was real. The gentle, tender look on her face made Edward feel fuzzy all over, and he couldn't control his actions.

He put his hands on her waist, pausing to see if she was having any second thoughts. When she didn't move, he brought his face down, her hands still cradling his face and kissed her gently.

The kiss was a lot different to their first.

Their first kiss was fuelled by hate and frustration – where they fought to get one over the other. But now, as he clutched the soft cashmere green sweater she wore, he felt closer to her than he did before. _Did I really think I could forget this girl? I'm such a stupid asshole._

The kiss was all lips; alternating between soft, sweet pecks, to long, wet presses of their mouths. She pushed her hands into his thick hair stroking strands between her fingers in a loving gesture which made him fall for just a little more.

He tentatively reached his fingers under her shirt, feeling the silky skin on the small of her back. He then pushed his tongue against her lips, seeking entrance.

Just as she was about to part her lips, to deepen the kiss, a knock echoed around the room, forcing them out of their loving embrace.

"Edward? Dude, you're giving Ally and me a ride home!" Jasper banged his fist on the door.

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose, "Give me a second." He called through gritted teeth.

"Okay," Jasper chuckled "And make sure your top isn't inside out! Some people thought they saw you go in with Isabella Swan! I mean out of all the bullshit I've heard over the last few days…"

"Jasper! For God's sake! Shut the fuck up and wait with Ally by my car!"

A shuffle of feet, and they were alone again.

He turned to Bella, who was sheepishly looking down at her feet, lips swollen and cheeks bright.

"B-"

"It's okay Edward. I wanted it too," she took a deep breath "but look, I think we should just have a clean slate, and just forget everything. We can… we can try and be friends."

 _Friends? How can I be friends with this girl when I know the taste of her lips? When I have felt her body against mine?_

"It's all I can do for now." She said, noticing his lack of response.

"I- I can… We can be f-friends." _No we certainly can't!_

"Really?" She asked sceptically.

"Bella" he sighed, forcing a neutral tone "I'd really like to be your friend." _I'd love to be something more though…_

"Great" she said relieved, "right… well" she looked pointedly at the lock that he was still standing in front of.

"Oh! Yeah…"

He turned and unlocked the door. But before he opened it, he turned to her again, "are you coming to the game Friday?"

Bella looked at him hesitant, "um…"

"Friends can support friends right?" he pressed.

"I guess so," she admitted grudgingly.

"Wonderful! I'll see you there then!" he stopped again "and friends give friends hugs… right?"

She rolled her eyes then "don't push it Cullen."

…

Edward closed his eyes basking in the crowds' roars as they chanted his name: "Cullen! Cullen! Cullen!"

Jasper hit him on his back, grinning at him as they prepared to go out on the field for their first game of the season. He could smell the wet grass, the smokiness scent from the hotdog stand. It was glorious. Besides sitting at his piano, this was where Edward felt most comfortable.

Of course, beyond the anticipation of playing on the field again, Edward could detect that familiar bubble of anxiety. He didn't know whether he should chalk it up the fact they were reigning champions, defending their title or the fact that there was a certain brunette hopefully shouting his name in the stands.

"Please welcome to the field, our home team – the Spartans!"

The crowd burst into hysterics as they ran out. The cheerleading team bounced up and down with their green and yellow pompoms squealing as they spelt out the home team's name.

Beneath the positivity, Edward could also hear the shouts and hisses of the few people who came in support of Seattle's Jaguars.

"You alright man?" Emmett said, standing next to Edward as the opposing team ran out in a blur of white and blue.

"Good."

"Ready to kick some Seattle ass?"

Edward snickered, "like you wouldn't believe."

He then cast a glance up to the stands, hoping that he'd somehow be able to pick out Bella amongst the throngs of people.

"She's up there." Emmett muttered.

Edward snapped his head back to look at Emmett, who was smirking at him knowingly.

"I don't know what you're talking about" he laughed off nervously.

"Cut the shit out Edward. I know you like Bella. And look, while Rosie isn't your biggest fan, I like you. I mean, you don't treat girls fantastically, but I've never heard you engage in any locker room gossip that talk shit about other people behind their back. What I'm trying to say is, I'm backing you… but if you do hurt Bella… I will crush you, Captain or not."

Edward stood a little taller, "I wouldn't hurt her." _Lie, lie, lie._

Emmett's fierce expression melted back into an easy going grin "then we're not going to have any issues then."

Just as Edward was about to reply, the rest of the team crowded around them- "So Captain!" Newton yelled over the white noise "what's the game plan?"

He cast one last look at Emmett, before gesturing the team round in a huddle. "Okay, so here's what we're going to do…"

…

"Good job Cullen!" Coach Clapp applauded as they made their way to the locker room after the game.

They had won 31-24. It was a good game, and Edward was satisfied with his performance.

Edward nodded in thanks, jugging down his water. His bronze hair was sticking to his face, and he was wet with perspiration. When his throat felt cooler, he emptied the rest of his bottle over his head, feeling the relief straight away as it soaked his skin.

"Alright Cullen," Jasper laughed, interrupting Edward's moment of peace "stop pretending to be a Nike advert and hurry up."

Edward lifted his eyebrow at his best friend "I'm sure the party can wait Jazz."

Mike was holding a celebration party at his house. Personally, Edward found the whole thing a bit presumptuous… what if they hadn't won?

"Well I doubt your girl is going to that…"

Edward suddenly realised what Jasper was getting at. Bella was here! She'd probably left already…

"Give me ten minutes!"

Within eight minutes, Edward had showered, dried himself off, then dressed in a pair of black jeans, v-neck white t-shirt and leather jacket. He jogged out, quietly impressed with his speed.

As he walked to the Volvo he looked around, desperately looking for his brunette. But most of the crowd had dispersed, most likely heading for Newton's. He looked down dejectedly at his trainers, kicking rocks.

"Couldn't find her?" Jasper asked, leaning against the passenger door of the Volvo.

"She probably left with Rose and Emmett" Edward brushed off. He patted his pockets for his keys.

"Shut up Black" a familiar voice, giggled a few cars down.

Edward's eyes widened, meeting Jasper's shocked blue ones.

"Get in" Edward commanded, opening the door.

"Really? Aren't we going to confront them?" Jasper wondered confused.

"Of course, come on."

They got in the car, and Edward reversed out. He then slowly drove down past several cars, before stopping in front of a silver jeep. He recognised it as Emmett's; he hadn't driven it to school as much since dating Rosalie.

Standing in front of it, were Bella and Edward's sworn enemy… Jacob Black.

"Well, well, doesn't this look cosy" Edward called out of his open window.

The pair looked over surprised.

"Edward! Jasper!" Bella smiled, walking over to the Volvo "Well done, you guys were amazing." Was it his imagination or was she looking more at him when she said that?

Either way, Edward couldn't help but blush from her praise, "I'm glad you enjoyed it," his attention was then brought over to the tall Native American who stood behind Bella with a sour expression on his face. "What brings you here Black?"

"Just checking out the competition, Cullen" he smirked.

"I didn't know you two knew each other?"

Jacob slipped his arm over Bella's shoulder, a smug grin on his face "oh yeah, Bells and I go waaay back."

What kind of nickname was Bells? Edward's hands tightened on the steering wheel, but he managed to maintain a cool façade, "Oh?"

Bella smiled – tightly, in his opinion – subtly shrugging Jacob's heavy ass arm off her while Jacob gleefully continued to goad Edward. "Oh yeah. We used to make mudpies together when we were little."

"How sweet."

"Okay, okay, enough of this macho- 'me man' talk. Jacob is just staying with me until Rosalie and Emmett come back."

"Where are they?" he didn't see them when he left the locker room. Mind you he was kind of preoccupied at the time.

"Well Rose went to go find him, so…" she trailed off in a suggestive manner.

"Get in there McCarty" Jasper muttered under his breath.

"You going to Newton's?" Edward further questioned, ignoring Jasper's remark.

"Nah, just going home."

"Right, well… it was great seeing you."

"You too. You really were wonderful out there Edward."

"Thanks Swan" he winked, "Bye Black."

"See ya Cullen."

He smiled at Bella again, before driving out of the parking lot.

"Did you see his smug fucking face?" Edward fumed as they sped to Newton's.

"Uh huh"

"He had his hands all over her!"

"Yup"

"And she let him! Why would she let that fucking mutt touch her?"

"Beats me. Y'know he eerily does resemble a pug" Jasper remarked thoughtfully.

"And apparently they're _friends._ If I had done that she would have ripped my arm of and stuffed it up my asshole."

"Eddie, dude, chill."

"Of course you'd tell me to chill. If Bella is not into me, you win the fucking bet!"

"Look. I've helped you haven't I? Past all this bet shit, you're my best friend and I can see the way you look at her… and the way she looks at you."

Edward took his eyes momentarily off the road to look at Jasper, "the way _she_ looks at _me?"_

Jazz rolled his eyes "You have to be fucking blind if you can't see it Cullen. The girl is dying to get all up in your junk."

"You're delusional."

"And you're fucking idiotic. Now just forget about all this for a second. We just won our first game of the season! Let's get smashed, and get some pussy. Yeah?"

While getting with any girl besides Bella seemed out of the question right now, he could see Jasper's point. Bella had now friend zoned him and he was acting like desperate. Plus he hadn't gotten with another girl for a little over a week… Maybe he should just let go for a bit. Release some of his pent up energy.

"You know, you can be really fucking smart sometimes."

"Now, now Eddie; don't get any ideas. As we have established- you are obviously now a brunette man, and I am a clear natural blonde."

Edward shook his head and laughed. Yes. Tonight he would just forget about Bella Swan.


End file.
